[RaghuVis]

One of the best things that has happened has been to open up the selection process of Padma awards selection to common man. Everyone of us have an option to send in our choices and this has been one of the biggest eye openers in India. We now come across rare gems that were always hidden away from limelight!

Presenting to you few of the Padma Award Winners!

Smt. Tulsi Gowda -- Tribal Woman from Karnataka, known as "Encyclopedia of Forest" for her vast knowledge of plants and herbs has planted more than 30,000 saplings and has been involved in environmental conservation activities for the past six decades.

Her pictures greeting the Prime Minister of India in her native attire has to one of the best pictures of the year.

Source: Twitter

[RaghuVis]

Shri. Harekala Hajabba -- Padma for Social Work. A story that should make every one of our heart swell in pride!

He is an orange vendor in Mangalore, Karnataka, saved money from his vendor business to build a school in his village for the poor kids and have educated thousands. His earnings were just 400 rupees per day and he still was able to make such a difference to the society.

[RaghuVis]

Shri. Himmataram Bhambhu -- Padma for Social Work. He is a farmer and environmentalist and works selflessly for protection of nature. He planted around 5.5 lakh saplings throughout Rajasthan. Yes you read that right - Half a Million trees! What a hero!

[RaghuVis]

Shri Chhultim Chhonjor --Padma for Social Work. A social activist from Ladakh, he singlehandedly constructed a 38-km stretch of NPD road from Ramjak to Kargyak village in Ladakh.

Reminds me of the story of a man who built a road between mountains after he could not get his wife into hospital on time. I think a movie was made starring nawazuddin siddiqui in Bollywood revolving that story!

[RaghuVis]

Shri. Nanda Prusty -- 102-yr-old fondly called “Nanda sir” has been providing free education to children and adults at Jajpur, Odisha for decades.

There was a nice moment during the ceremony of him raising his hands in a gesture of blessing the President which has since gone viral!

[RaghuVis]

Matha B. Manjamma Jogati -- Second Trans gender after Narthaki Nataraj to win a Padma, she is the Chairman of Karnataka Janapada (Folklore) Academy. She has been instrumental in popularizing the folk art forms practiced in rural Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Her gesture of wishing The president in her own traditional way has filled the whole of Internet with pure Joy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d5nVdd5oN0

[RaghuVis]

Dr Birubala Rabha -- A social activist of Assam, she is an anti-witch hunting crusader fighting against the social menace of witch-hunting prevalent in Assam especially among the tribal communities for decades.

Smt. Chhutni Mahato -- Another tribal activist from Seraikela, Jharkhand. She has single-handedly saved 125 women from witch-hunting till now. For her acts of bravery, she is also famously called the “Tigress”.

She was once tied up in a tree and beaten and was about to be burnt when she decided to fight back and she indeed is a tigress we all should be proud of!

[RaghuVis]

Shri. K. Y. Venkatesh -- Padma for Sports. Differently-abled since birth, he bravely faced many challenges and yet emerged as a winner in various sports activities. He led India at the 5th Dwarf Olympic Games 2009 where India won 17 medals.

Another kind gesture when President came down from his platform so that Venkatesh could accept the award comfortably.

[RaghuVis]

Shri Mohammad Shareef -- Padma for Social Work. He is a cycle mechanic turned social worker. He performs last rites of unclaimed dead bodies of all religions with full dignity.

I would definitely like to meet him and take his blessings one day not far from now!

[RaghuVis]

Smt. Sangkhumi Bualchhuak --Padma for Social Work. She established the first women de-addiction, rehabilitation and counselling centre in Mizoram. Her vocational training courses have helped the patients in self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Smt. Lakhimi Baruah --Padma for Social Work. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Konoklota Mahila Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd., the first and only all-women bank in the entire Northeast region of India benefiting thousands of woman and their families.

[Raghu M]

Indeed great honors. Glad to see people from common walks of life who have contributed extraordinarily to the society.

[RaghuVis]

Dr Yogi Aeron --Padma for Medicine. Director of Outreach Centre of Resurge International, he has been providing free services for burn deformities and animal bites to poor patients since 1984.

Dr Sushovan Banerjee --Padma for Medicine. Dr Banerjee is a veteran General Practitioner from Bolpur, West Bengal. Popularly known as Ek Takar Daktar (One Rupee Doctor), he has been treating patients at a fee of Rupee 1 for the past 57 years.

Dr Leela Joshi --Padma for Medicine. A gynaecologist, she is also known as Mother Teresa of Ratlam for her contribution of more than two decades to reduce maternal mortality in tribal, rural and urban slums of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh.

Reading on the stories of these doctors makes us more humble!

[RaghuVis]

Shri Javed Ahmad Tak --Padma for Social Work. He is a specially-abled social worker who has been working with specially abled children for the last two decades.

Dr Sindhutai Sapkal --Padma for Social Work. fondly called as Maai, She is a social worker from Maharashtra. She has dedicated her life to the cause of the poor and destitute. She has nurtured over 1500 orphaned children over a period of 45 years.

[RaghuVis]

Smt. Krishnammal Jagannathan -- Padma for Social Work. A social activist from Tamil Nadu, fondly called Amma, a nonagenarian, travels to remote rural areas bringing social, economic and political transformation through propagating the philosophy of non-violence!

[RaghuVis]

Smt. Rahibai Soma Popere --Padma for Agriculture. Popularly known as 'Seed Mother', she is a tribal farmer from Mahadeo Koli, Tribal community from Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.